Chicanná

Chicanná was a Maya city that was built during the Classic period (600 AD to 830 AD). The site was named after its most famous building, Structure II, which means "House of the Serpent Mouth" in Maya. In the Maya language chi means "mouth", can means "serpent" and ná means "house". The site is located two kilometers west of Becán in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve of the Mexican state of Campeche on the Yucatán Peninsula. It is one of 45 other ruin sites located within that area.

Chicanná was inhabited from the late Preclassic period in the year 300 B.C. to the early Posclassic period in 1100 A.D., but was thought to have reached its peak from 500 to 800 A.D. There is evidence that Chicanná may have been dependent on Becán for much of its existence, since Becán was self-sufficient. Chicanná is one of the most striking examples in the region of the mixing of architectural styles with its stunning detailed buildings. Its buildings have features of the Río Bec, Chenes and even the Puuc style from the north. It does not have large pyramids, but relatively small buildings with great ornateness and high quality of decoration including monumental masks of the god Itzamná in the structures suggests that it was a center for the Río Bec region elite whose capital was the city of Becán.